Embossing tape



J. D. ANDERSON EMBOSSING TAPE Filed May 15, 1960 July 31, 1962 Fig-4. ZW

Utili@ This invention generally relates to materials capable of being embossed, such as by cold ow deformation, and is more particularly directed towards an embossable material which will produce contrast color indicia upon embossment thereof.

A method of producing contrast color relief is disclosed in U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,925,625, wherein a plastic sheet, upon deformation, undergoes a structural micellar change thereby resulting in an embossment having a different color than that of the starting material. rl'his method, while recognized as a substantial advance in the embossing and identification art, depends primarily on the use of particular classes of plastic sheet, and can generally only produce white embossments on a clear or colored base or background.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an embossable material capable of being embossed to produce an embossed indicia possessing substantially any desired color in contrast with the color of the exposed unembossed portions of the material.

Another object of the invention is to produce a material of the type described which may be formed from metal, plastic or the like which produces the final color of the embossment, and which is provided with a coating of any desired color to furnish the desired background contrast.

A further object of the invention is to provide a material as above described which includes a base capable of cold embossment and a coating of a substance more brittle than the base so that upon embossment of the latter, the coating will be fractured in the embossed areas.

Another object of this invention is to provide an embossable material of the type referred to in which means are provided to insure removal of the fractured coating at the embossed areas, such means also serving to protect the embossing dies from becoming clogged or otherwise damaged from contact with the fractured coating particles.

Still another object of this invention is to provide embossing tape or the like in which the coating is suiciently flexible so as to permit winding or coiling of the tape into roll form and thus capable of use in hand embossing machines of the type shown in application Serial No. 809,072, led April 27, 1959, now Patent No. 3,006,451, entitled Hand Operated Embossing Tool.

The invention posesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the Showing made by the said drawing and. description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a short length of a piece of tape constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIGURE 2` is a View similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the tape after the same has been embossed.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View on an enlarged scale through an embossment, the plane of the view being indicated by line 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, and illustrating the removal of the upper tear strip and a as 11, A., ttes l?. nl

Patented July 3l, 1962 fractured coating to expose the material of the base in the area of embossment.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the finished embossed tape.

In broad terms, and as hereinabove suggested, the material of the. present invention is of a form and character permitting cold working embossment thereof so as to produce raised indicia on its upper surface. Since such indicia is for the purpose of identification or otherwise imparting information to the viewer, it is of great advantage to have the entire indicia of a color contrasting with that of the remaining unembossed surface of the material, without requiring a subsequent painting operation. In its preferred embodiment, the material is in the form of a roll of tape which constitutes a base, and the tape is coated with a plastic material more brittle than that of the base tape, eg., applying a modified vinyl coating to an aluminum tape. Upon embossment of the coated tape, the metal will be permanently deformed to produce the desired characters or indicia. However, the coating being more brittle than the metal, has a substantially lower cold flow yield point, thus being fractured in the area of the embossment. understood that the metallic or other color of the base tape will show through the contrasting coating color only at the embossments, resulting in a clearly legible indicia. It will also be later explained how means are provided, preferably in the form of a laminated pressure sensitive tear strip, over the coating, to insure removal of all fractured portions of the coating following embossment while at the same time preventing damage to the embossing dies by the accumulation of flakes of coating material during embossment.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGURE 1 illustrates material formed in accordance with this invention in the form of a generally dat continuous sheet or strip 12 capable of being coiled or Wound without damage thereto, The illustrated strip comprises a base 13, a coating 14 on the upper Surface of the base, and a tear strip 16 overlying at least the central portion of the coating in the zone of embossment. Also, to provide for ready attachment of the material after embossment, the lower surface of base 13 is provided with an adhesive layer 17 normally protected with a tear olf strip 18, the latter being torn away to expose the adhesive so as to permit adhesive securing of the embossed strip tot any article.

The base 13 may be formed of any material capable of permanent cold flow deformation upon embossment, and thus includes metals as well as plastics. In the case of metals, aluminum and copper having a thickness in the general range of 4 to 7 mils have given good results, and some manufacturers refer to a metal of this thickness as a foil.

Coating 14 is applied to `base 13 and is desirably a plastic coating of the solvent `evaporation type. While the coating -is to be applied in a conventional manner, it must be kept in mind that the same must provide the necessary adhesion 'and flexibility to provide 'for genera'lly integral movement with the base during rolling of the strip, while subject to selective fracturing upon strip embossment. A preferred coating consists of a resin dissolved in a suitable solvent and pigmented to produce any desired color. The same is applied to the base, the solvent evaporates iand the coating dries and bonds to the base. More specifically, it has been found that a modilied vinyl chloride solution produces an excellent coating, the modification including a hard lmelamine' resin to provide the desired amount of adhesion and suicient brittleness to permit fracturingl @and removal from the base upon strip embossment.

If the coating is colored, it will be The following examples represent formulations which have been tested and proved adequate for the coating:

Example No. l

Percent Toluene 34.2 Methyl isobutyl ketone 34.2 Melamine resin 20.0 Pigment 3.4 Plasticizer .9

Polyvinyl chloride acetate resin (containing reactive carboxyl groups of maleic acid) 7.3

As will be understood, the vinyl may be treated with maleic acid to provide for better adhesion to' metal.

The coating can be relatively thin as compared to the thickness of the base, and a coating of about 1/2 to l mil is adequate.

FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the condition of the strip 12 after the same has been embossed to produce raised indicia 2,1, here illustrated in the form of numbers. As will be understood, the entire strip is subjected to embossing deformation. Thus, not `only is the base 13 upwardly offset 'as indicated at 22, lbut the coating 14 and tear strip 16 likewise follows the contour of such offset, `as does the adhesive layer 17 and strip 13. However, as will `be noted in FIGURE 3, the coating portion 24 overlying the offset portion 22 of the base has been fractured into relatively small pieces and the bond between such portion 24 and the `base offset 22 destroyed. Thus, even if the tear strip 16 were not present, the coating portion 24 could be removed `from the base thereby exposing the base only at the offset indicia, the remaining portions of the coating still overlying the base to produce a color contrast with the exposed offset.

The tear strip 16 which overlies the coating 14 preferably extends only along the central longitudinal portion of the latter whereat the embossing takes place. This permits ready viewing of the coating color and at the same time affords easy removal after embossing. The purposes of the strip ,have been previously discussed and may consist of any conventional pressure sensitive material so that upon removal, after emboss-ment, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the fractured coating portions 24 will adhere to the strip 16 and be clean-ly and completely removed from the offset base portions 22.

Regarding the adhesive 17 and tear off strip 18, these too may be of conventional material so-that upon remor/al of the strip 18, the adhesive 17 on the lower surface 'of base 13 will be exposed for attachment of the base to some article. For further information along these lines, reference .may be had to application, Serial No. 769,643,led October 27, 1958, entitled Methods of Producing and -F abricating of Reinforced Plastic Sheets and the Resulting Products, now Patent No. 3,036,945.

The various possibilities and modifications that suggest themselves from the foregoing `are numerous, and the advantages resulting from the exposure of a base material at an embossed area through a covering or coating of contrasting color and/or texture are believed apparent.

What 4is claimed is:

l. An embossable material of the character described comprising a base capable of cold flow embossment to provide permanently offset embossed portions on the upper surface thereof, a coating overlying said surface of said base, said coating being more brittle than said base whereby upon permanent offset of the latter, said coating will fracture in the zone of such offset embossed portions, and means overlying and removably secured to said coating and removable therefrom for removal of the fractured coating portions.

2. An embossable sheet of the character described adapted for treatment in embossment apparatus to produce embossed articles, comprising a base sheet subject to permanent deformation by embossing the same beyond the cold yield point thereof, a coating overlying and applied to a surface of said base, said coating being of a color contrasting to that of said base sheet and of a material more brittle than the base sheet which fractures upon the base sheet being embossed whereby upon removal of the fractured portions of the coating the embossed portions of the base sheet will be exposed through the coating and with a color contrasting thereto and means overlying and releasably secured to said coating for removal of said fractured portions of the coating.

3. An embossable sheet of the character described comprising a base possessing a first color and being deformable upon embossment thereof to produce raised indicia on a surface thereof, a coating on said surface more brittle than the material of said base and including a resin pigmented to provide a color contrasting to that of said base, said coating being bonded to said base and subject to fracturing upon embossment of the latter, and a pressure sensitive adhesive tear strip releasably secured to the exposed surface of said coating and manually separable therefrom to remove fractured portions of the coating following embossment.

4. An embossable sheet of the character described comprising a base possessing a first color and being deformable upon embossment thereof to produce raised indicia on a surface thereof, a coating on said surface including a vinyl chloride solution modified with melamine resin and of a color contrasting to that of said base, said coating being bonded to and being more brittle than said `base and subject to fracturing upon embossment of the latter, and a pressure sensitive adhesive tear strip releasably secured to the exposed surface of said coating and manually separable therefrom to remove fractured portions of the coating following embossment.

5. A sheet as set forth in claim 4 in which said base is metal.

6. A sheet as set forth in claim 4 in which said coating includes a polyvinyl chloride acetate resin containing reactive carboxyl groups of maleic acid.

7. An embossable material comprising a base capable of permanent cold tow deformation to provide embossments on a surface thereof, a coating overlying and bonded to said base surface, said coating being more brittle than said base whereby upon embossment of the latter said coating will `fracture and the bond between the coating and base will be broken at the embossments, and a pressure sensitive adhesive tear strip releasably secured to the exposed surface of said coating and manually separable therefrom to remove fractured portions of the coating following embossment.

8. A material as set forth in claim 7 in which the other surface of said base is provided with an adhesive for securing the same to an article.

9. An emhossable material comprising a base capable of permanent cold flow deformation to provide embossments on a surface thereof, a coating overlying `and bonded to said base surface, said coating being more rittle than said base whereby upon embossment of the latter said coating will fracture and the bond between the coating and base will be broken at the embossments, and a pressure sensitive tear strip releasably secured to the exposed surface of said coating and spaced from opposed cdges thereof and manually separable therefrom to remove fracturedportions thereof following embossment, said coating being vinyl chloride modified with a melamine resin.

l0. An embossed article comprising a base sheet having portions thereof permanently offset to provide integral raised embossed indicia on the upper surface thereof, a coating of a color contrasting with the color of the base overlying all portions of said upper surface of said base other than at said embossed indicia whereat the coating is absent so as to render the base color visible at the area of said embossed indicia, said coating being substantially thinner than said sheet and the height of said embossed indicia extending above the plane of said coating, and adhesive means on the lower surface of said sheet for securing said sheet to an article.

11. A method of producing a contrasting color embossed article which comprises taking a base sheet capable of permanent cold ow deformation, laminating a coating of different color and of more brittle material on said base sheet, embossing the laminated structure to provide a cold flow ernbossment in the base sheet and a fracturing of the coating at the embossed area, and removing the fractured portions of the coating whereby the color of the base sheet will be visible at the embossed area.

12. A base material capable of permanent cold flow deformation to provide an embossment on one surface thereof, a coating thinner than said base `and overlying and covering and bonded to said surface, said base and said coating being in the form of a continuous strip wound into roll form, said coating being suiciently ilexitble to permit the rolling of the strip and more brittle than said base whereby upon embossrnent of the latter said coating will fracture and the bond between the coating and base will be broken at the embossment, said coating being of a different color than said base whereby upon removal of the fractured portions of the coating the color of the base at the embossment will be visible, said base having an adhesive layer on the other surface thereof for securing the `embossed strip to an article, and a removable tear strip covering said adhesive during embossment of said strip and removable therefrom to expose said adhesive.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,043,809 Papp June 9, 1936 2,205,466 Caprio et al June 25, 1940 2,298,365 Gits et al Oct. 13, 1942 2,329,456 Campbell Sept. 14, 1943 2,381,605 Leander Aug. 7, 1945 2,411,590 Powell Nov. 26, 1946 2,602,036 Sullivan Iuly 1, 1952 2,622,656 Pinsky Dec. 23, 1952 2,804,416 Phillipsen Aug. 27, 1957 2,925,625 Souza Feb. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 445,838 Great Britain Ian. 1l, 1935 

1. AN EMBOSSABLE MATERIAL OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A BASE CAPABLE OF COLD FLOW EMBOSSMENT TO PROVIDE PERMANENTLY OFFSET EMBOSSED PORTIONS ON THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF, A COATING OVERLYING SAID SURFACE OF SAID BASE, SAID COATING BEING MORE BRITTLE THAN SAID BASE WHEREBY UPON PERMANENT OFFSET OF THE LATTER, SAID COATING WILL FRACTURE IN THE ZONE OF SUCH OFFSET EMBOSSED PORTIONS, AND MEANS OVERLYING AND REMOVABLY SECURED TO SAID COATING AND REMOVABLE THEREFROM FOR REMOVAL OF THE FRACTURED COATING PORTIONS. 